5Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Patient safety is a major component of healthcare quality, which is defined as the avoidance of causing harm to patients in providing healthcare services. The present study aimed to investigate the attitude of nurses toward the patient safety culture in the teaching general hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014. Data were collected using the adapted version of the safety attitude questionnaire (SAQ). Sample size consisted of 385 nurses, who were selected randomly. In total, 325 participants completed the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS Version 19 using descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results:Mean age of the participants was 36.21±6.9 years, and 92% and 8% of the respondents were female and male, respectively. In terms of the occupational status, 92.1% of the participants had a contractual job or permanent official employment. Mean percentage of the positive attitude toward the patient safety culture was 59.2±18.1, 55.6±17.0, 53.8±24.2, 49.5±16.5, and 43.0±22.4 in the dimensions of management perception, teamwork, job satisfaction, safety climate, and work conditions, respectively. In addition, a significant difference was observed in the dimension of management perception and employment status of the nurses (F=4.4; P=0.01).Conclusion: According to the results, attitude of the nurses in the selected hospitals was poor toward the dimensions of the patient safety culture. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that specific training interventions be performed to enhance the work conditions and safety climate in these hospitals